New Latino Club a hit with center residents

Wednesday

Aug 27, 2008 at 2:00 AM

WARWICK — A new club is meeting at the Schervier Pavilion of St. Anthony Community Hospital, and it has Latino residents indulging in their favorite ethnic foods and dancing to familiar Latin beats. It also has their families feeling a lot less guilty about using adult home and rehabilitation services in a culture where the elderly or handicapped are usually cared for at home.

CARMEN RAMOS

WARWICK — A new club is meeting at the Schervier Pavilion of St. Anthony Community Hospital, and it has Latino residents indulging in their favorite ethnic foods and dancing to familiar Latin beats. It also has their families feeling a lot less guilty about using adult home and rehabilitation services in a culture where the elderly or handicapped are usually cared for at home.

"We're not used to putting our parents in a home," said Maribella Santiago, business operations analyst at Schervier. "It's so taboo. (But), in this day and age everybody has to work."

Santiago said she came up with the idea for the Latino Club, not for any lack of activities at Schervier but to help participants get their roots back.

The club is a spin-off of the center's International Club, which hosts a variety of events for members with special interests and diverse ethnic backgrounds.

"I kinda branched out into my own thing," Santiago said. "I thought families would like it."

The Puerto Rican native proposed the idea to Kari Call, director of recreation at Schervier. After getting her approval, Santiago started the club with a meet-and-greet event June 18 that brought together residents of Schervier Pavilion and Mount Alverno Center, and members of their adult day care program, with several family members in attendance. The event was a success and Santiago planned a luncheon soon after.

She canvassed the residents to find out what foods they liked. Rice and beans, sweet plantains, avocado and pernil (pork shoulder) topped the list at the luncheon, held July 25. Santiago and fellow staff members hosted and catered it on their own time and dime.

The events get the residents eating, dancing to Latin music, and talking about the past.

"It's like we're in the backyard talking," Santiago said.

The club tries to meet once a month in the recreation center at Schervier, where today members will gather for the third time since the club's inception to make time for espresso, beauty and bochinche (gossip).

"We are very excited that the club has gotten acceptance," Santiago said.

She told the story of Virgilia Maldonado, a resident with a strong family support system, who was so subdued and reserved around other members and staff that Santiago wondered if she even spoke English at all. But since the Latino Club was started, the 100-year-old from Vega Alta, Puerto Rico, has never been chattier.

Santiago hopes that other Latino families trust the club to make a pleasant and therapeutic atmosphere for their loved ones.

"We continue to strive to maintain a homelike environment," she said.

She said she is also grateful for the support she receives from the staff and the confidence Call has placed in her new endeavor.

"Therapeutic recreation is essential to the quality of life and the quality of care of individuals receiving health and human services," said Call. "These events help bring back pleasant memories and remind people of where and how they grew up with their families, including native customs, foods, and language."

The Schervier Pavilion, a skilled nursing facility, and the Mount Alverno Center, a state-approved adult home with assisted living, are part of the Warwick campus of Bon Secours Charity Health System. For more information about the Latino Club, the International Club and other recreational activities at these locations, call Kari Call at 987-5779. Additional information about Schervier, Mount Alverno and St. Anthony Community Hospital is available at www.StAnthonyCommunityHosp.org.

Hispanic Outreach meeting — 5:30-7:30 p.m. Sept. 10, Plattekill Public Library, 2047 Route 32, Modena. New developments such as the expanded Tutor.com program in English and Spanish, and new Spanish materials available at the library will be discussed. A UCAT (Ulster County Area Transit) representative will talk about local public transportation, including bus schedules. The meeting will be translated into Spanish. A light dinner will be served. To RSVP, call 883-7286.